William Purell
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drives to the basket looking for a generous foul call.
The basketball world expected one half of this NBA Finals equation. The Oklahoma City Thunder, with their league-topping 68-14 record and MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading a roster brimming with young talent, were favorites to reach this stage.
But their opponents? The Indiana Pacers were the ultimate underdog in this year’s playoffs, entering with just a 4% chance to win their conference. Yet, a month later, they have defied all odds in one of the most improbable runs in recent NBA history.
While Oklahoma City’s ascension followed a logical path—sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies, surviving a nail-biting seven-game series against the Denver Nuggets, then dismantling the Minnesota Timberwolves—Indiana’s path sounds fictitious.
The fourth-seeded Pacers exorcised their playoff demons by sending the Milwaukee Bucks into a probable rebuild and humbling the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in just five games. Their victory over the New York Knicks in the conference finals was defined by Tyrese Haliburton’s magical buzzer-beater in game one to cement their 23-point comeback and to force overtime.
The shot didn’t just flip the momentum of the game, it rewrote the narrative for the entire series, where they would sweep the Knicks in their first two games at home and win in six.
Cinderella stories don’t always get their fairy-tale ending, though. For all of the magic that Indiana has conjured, from Haliburton’s performance in the clutch to Siakam’s 2019-esque scoring, they now face a Thunder team that isn’t just the best in the league, but one of the most complete teams that the NBA has ever seen.
Oklahoma City is a juggernaut. They didn’t just finish with the best record in the league, they had the highest net rating, the second-highest rated offense, and a suffocating defense.
Their point guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is undoubtedly their most dangerous weapon. His play style, centered around his deadly midrange jumper and unscrupulous dramatic arm-flailing that consistently draws fouls, will be the steepest hill for the Pacers to climb.
The clock is about to strike midnight on Indiana’s nonsensical playoff run unless they find a way to derail the Thunder, with Oklahoma City entering as the heaviest favorites to win the finals in several years.
With game one set to tip off this Thursday, we are bound to see one of these franchises win their first ever NBA finals trophy.